StartUp Tech Valley marks 100 presenter milestone

Community members help each other in fledgling businesses

By Alicia Biggs

Published
3:24 pm EDT, Saturday, April 9, 2016

Local business members gather at Revolution Hall for a StartUp Tech Valley monthly get-together to share information and help one another on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, at Brown?s Brewing Co. in Troy, N.Y. (Michael P. Farrell/Times Union) less

Local business members gather at Revolution Hall for a StartUp Tech Valley monthly get-together to share information and help one another on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, at Brown?s Brewing Co. in Troy, N.Y. ... more

Local business members gather at Revolution Hall for a StartUp Tech Valley monthly get-together to share information and help one another on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, at Brown?s Brewing Co. in Troy, N.Y. (Michael P. Farrell/Times Union) less

Local business members gather at Revolution Hall for a StartUp Tech Valley monthly get-together to share information and help one another on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, at Brown?s Brewing Co. in Troy, N.Y. ... more

When some entrepreneurs show up at Revolution Hall for StartUp Tech Valley events each month, competition is left at the door and a "give before you get" community development spirit takes over.

The concept of helping others has resonated with Kale Kaposhilin, principal and operations director of Evolving Media Network, since he heard venture capitalist Martin Babinec speak at a recent StartUp Tech Valley event. Babinec started the nonprofit Upstate Venture Connect.

"It's not really a new concept but it always bears repeating," he said. Attending events, including the AT&T StartUp Tech Valley App Challenge last year, has helped him build relationships and his business, Kaposhilin said.

Just before 6:30 on an early March evening, the main floor and balcony of Revolution Hall in Troy were filled by 300 entrepreneurs, investors and students as the monthly gathering of StartUp Tech Valley got under way. The space at Brown's Brewing Co. had been transformed into an ecosystem of sorts for startups, not unlike something one might find in California's Silicon Valley.

Kuruzovich is also a professor of business analytics for RPI's Lally School of Management. The Severino Center launched Startup Tech Valley in the fall of 2013 with a few panels of entrepreneurs. In January 2014, the group shifted its focus to highlight five startups per event.

Taylor Zorman, sales manager from Windrush, updated the group on the company's success during the past year. Moving forward, she said they plan to focus on developing relationships and growing the customer base.

"Companies like Target know what you're going to buy before you buy it," Zorman said during her presentation. "What do (companies) do with the data after (they) have it?"

Windrush solves the problem, Zorman said.

"If you have data and don't know what to do with it, please come find us," she told the audience.

Additionally, CEO Kate Bradley Cherney pitched her company "Lately" as the first Software as a Service platform that organizes all marketing information into one place.

Six years ago while working on a Wal-Mart campaign at her marketing firm, she realized a Google documents spreadsheet was her best tool. More companies are spending time organizing rather than marketing, she said.

"All of my clients have the same problem," Cherney said. "Their marketing is a giant mess."

"I want to see her win and build a successful woman-owned tech company in the Hudson Valley," Kaposhilin said.

Kuruzovich said Kaposhilin is not the only entrepreneur he has seen help others.

"I watched Brian Corrigan, CEO at Odd Networks, coaching those from Windrush," after the March event, he said. "If you want to be involved with a startup community the easiest way to get involved is to help someone."

"We have also shifted it over the years from an expense to something that breaks even, with support from a number of generous sponsors," Kuruzovich said.

The group has more than 20 sponsors including Price Chopper, the Center for Economic Growth, University at Albany, and Albany Medical Center.

Kuruzovich said the idea for the group stemmed from Brad Feld, entrepreneur, author and venture capitalist at Foundry Group in Boulder, Colo. Feld's book "Startup Communities" describes the startup ecosystem transformation he created in Boulder. His model has continued to spur startup communities throughout the country.

As entrepreneurs and others mingled before and after presentations in Troy, competition took a backseat. Like catching up with old friends, entrepreneurs listened to each other's ideas, presented feedback and celebrated each other's successes.

"The goal is to obtain instant exposure to a broader community of entrepreneurs and professionals from whom they may find their first co-founder, customer or mentor," Kuruzovich said.

Still, Babinec said one way to determine where tomorrow's jobs will be located is to follow venture capital. Upstate New York ranks far behind other regions in terms of venture capital investment, he said.

"This is a quest I've now been on for six years," Babinec said. "The point to the story is the way we make the change from where we are today to where we have the potential to be (is) exactly with events like this. My hats off to Jason and the entire team. This is not something that happened overnight."